My Missing Memory

I've been trying out a number of computers lately. In particular, I've been using a very nice HP xw8400 workstation with dual quad-core processors. I've found a number of applications that really take advantage of all this power, but also...

I've been trying out a number of computers lately. In particular, I've been using a very nice HP xw8400 workstation with dual quad-core processors. I've found a number of applications that really take advantage of all this power, but also a few that have room for improvement.

But one thing I have noticed is how memory limits do keep coming up. I'm running Windows Vista, and I have 4GB of memory in the machine. But Vista only reports 3GB. What's up with that?

Actually, it's pretty straightforward. A 32-bit OS can only address 4GB of virtual memory. That includes addressing all the hardware in the computer, including the ROM, and most particularly, the graphics memory. So when all is said and done, on both that workstation and on my laptop computer, I'm left with "just" 3G of RAM that the OS can see. (Note that some PCs are even more limited - I have an older gaming machine that maxes out at 2GB of RAM.)

Of course, 3GB or even 2GB is just fine for most typical uses. You can typically load your e-mail program, your word processor, a large number of browser windows, and your media player in 2GB. It's only when you have even more applications, large data sets, or lots of multimedia to edit that it becomes an issue. But we're moving in that direction - and that's why 64-bit OSes will need to become a standard in the near future.

You can get 64-bit versions of Linux, XP, and Windows Vista, though drivers for the 64-bit versions of Windows remain problematic. I expect the driver issue to be improving over the next year or so, and that's going to be crucial - maybe not for typical home users, but certainly for gamers and those who run workstation applications.

Michael J. Miller's Forward Thinking Blog: forwardthinking.pcmag.com
Michael J. Miller is chief information officer at Ziff Brothers Investments, a private investment firm. From 1991 to 2005, Miller was editor-in-chief of PC Magazine, responsible for the editorial direction, quality and presentation of the world's largest computer publication.
Until late 2006, Miller was the Chief Content Officer for Ziff Davis Media, responsible for overseeing the editorial positions of Ziff Davis's magazines, websites, and events. As Editorial Director for Ziff Davis Publishing since 1997, Miller took an active role in...
More »